Notice
by feedthemeat543
Summary: A sneak peek at something I'm working on. Reviews are certainly appreciated


I deeply apologize for my negligence on the reaper of xcom I promise I will make it up to you all.

Don't follow or favorite this entry for it will be deleted once I integrate the new content into the existing story.

Keep in mind in your reviews that this is in no way a finished product as I still have a lot of editions to add so consider this a preview.

And make sure you review as the feedback helps me tremendously.

Thank all of you for staying with me through all these months.

Strange...

If he had one word to describe the sprawling concrete jungle he resided in it would be strange… The sounds, the smells, the roaming masses of strange people as they went about their lives. Strange that while they had to work it was never life or death for most of them. They never had to worry about being eaten by wild animals, never had to worry about sickness, and most certainty were never in his situation stalking through a dark alleyway his senses on high alert his armored boots hardly making a sound on the wet concrete.

As he neared the corner he stopped to listen- amidst all the voices he could hear them clearly… the servants of his former captors barking to the crowded masses, herding them through one of their checkpoints.

The sound of their alien voices was more than enough to dissuade him from walking out of the alley. While there was no telling how long it would take for the local forces to catch wind of his escape he wasn't willing to take his chances with such an unknown enemy. As he thought he ran his hand down the wall adjacent to him and that's when an idea struck him… The building to his left was clearly older and far less cared for than the other near pristine structures and parts of the brick and mortar were decayed and eroded. Letting out a soft sigh he swiftly climbed up the decrepit wall using his new found strength and creating new hand holds when they couldn't be found. He gripped the edge of the roof grunting with effort as he hoisted himself up. Moving like a shadow he looked down into the street below- most of the patrols were clearly occupied with the roving masses of civilians. Now all that was left was for him to get downtown without being spotted.

Isaac backed up and tensed his leg muscles preparing for a running start. His powerful legs allowed him to accelerate with blinding speed and with one leap he sailed through the air and landed on the opposite rooftop continuing his sprint and rapidly freerunning across the rooftops. All the while he pondered his next move- the city was clearly not safe anymore and the boat that could take him home wouldn't come back for another month or two so where could he go outside the city? It was clear that advent controlled most of the continent and the only places they didn't have a stranglehold were the forests. Yes that was ideal… the woodlands were his domain and if his captors pursued him they would have to engage him on his own terms. But that would all have to wait as he reached the bar that neighbored his hideout.

He dropped down in the street making a loud crashing thud as he hit the ground and inciting loud gasps and hushed conversion from the people near the entrance though he ignored them as he pushed through the doors. He had frequented this place in the past due to the cheap drink and the owner rarely asked questions except, one thing was certainty different… the normally loud and bustling atmosphere had gone nearly silent except for a few snippets of conversation such as….

"What the hell is that thing doing in here?"

Or

"So the drones they send to harass us weren't good enough apparently. "

But what really caught his attention was the TV broadcast

"This noble protector has been subverted and twisted by the dissidents that would seek our destruction therefore all sightings must be reported so we may induct this lost soul back into our fold"

His face or rather his mask was displayed on the screen along with the hotline. Well that certainty answered the question of if they were looking for him or not. He certainty was NOT going back to that accursed facility ever again…

"Furthermore…"

He didn't hear the rest of the broadcast as he put his fist through the TV shattering the screen and effectively silencing the insufferable voice of the broadcaster.

The owner looked like he wanted to say something but quickly changed his mind when Isaac glared at him. He stalked into the back of the bar and went straight for the back door. He grumbled quietly as the door was locked.

He didn't have time for this…

Backing up he gave the door a powerful kick bursting it off its hinges and sending it flying forward. Normally he would have gotten the owner to open the door but he was in a hurry and he would just pay the man in the morning. But none of that mattered as he reached home sweet home...

It was an old abandoned manhole that he had discovered his second week in the city and it was where he had been living for the past couple of weeks. Sure it had a rancid stench but simple nose plugs (or in his current case his mask) solved that problem and it had plenty of space for himself and his personal belongings and to top it off it was free. While others would turn their noses away it provided all he could ever ask for. He wrenched the cover out and had just set it down when he heard something behind him… whipping around what he saw completely rocked the foundation of his world.

The creature was a snake like being that was at least 2 meters tall with light orange scales but most perplexing of all was its physique- It was clearly feminine with its curved body and… certain mammalian features on her chest.

What he was seeing couldn't be real… even with all of the bizarre things he had witnessed this was something only a drunkard or the truly disturbed could imagine. But even though her eyes blazed with cold fury the being in front of him was oddly beautiful…

He was abruptly snapped out his daze when the creature's tongue shot out of her mouth and wrapped around his right wrist like a vice and violently yanked him forward. Regaining his balance and his wits he wrenched his wrist back which tugged the creature toward him like a bizarre form of tug of war. He snatched her tongue up with his left hand and squeezed it with bone crushing force.

The alien sputtered and gurgled as she desperately tried to pull her tongue back but Isaac was having none of it- grabbing her tongue with both hands he jerked her towards him and with lightning speed he knocked her weapon out her hand and it skirted across the ground and was hopefully) out of her reach. Thrashing madly in his grip the alien made a horrible gurgling noise and spit some kind of green gas in his face.

Her tongue slid out of his grasp and she hurriedly slithered away but apparently his mask filtered out whatever she had hit him with. He dashed through the gas cloud and aimed a vicious left hook at her side but she swiftly dodged the blow counterattacking with a claw swipe that he blocked with his left gauntlet her claws scratching the metal like nails on a chalkboard.

In an effort to tire the alien he let off a brutal barrage of punches, all the while she danced around his blows her lithe body moving an breakneck speed.

As she ducked under a right hook he finally saw an opening- Driving his knee forward he connected with her stomach knocking the breath out of her with a loud gasp and before she had time to skirt away he kicked her in the chest sending her crashing across the Alley.

She quickly recovered hissing madly and shot forward like a bullet. Isaac dashed to intercept her but she ducked under him wrapping her tail around his leg and tripping him. Pain shot up his back and she was on him in a flash her fangs bared and aimed straight for his neck. Before she could complete her deadly strike he delivered a punishing elbow to her jaw making it go slack and forcing her head back.

Using his hips as leverage he pushed her off and scrambled to his feet. The alien regained her senses moments after and snapped her jaw back into place glaring daggers at him.

Both opponents backed up and eyed each other, his loud filtered breathing and her panting being the only sound around them. Isaac carefully considered his options… she was clearly fast enough to dodge most of his blows and her tongue was still a threat…

He feinted to the left and as he expected she moved to the right but before she had time to move out of the way he was on her his hand wrapping around her throat his grip like iron.

He lifted her up and slammed her against the wall like a hammer the force of the attack shattering some of the brick.

As a last ditch effort the alien lashed her tongue out and wrapped it around his windpipe completely cutting off his air flow and her tail wrapped around his right hand locking it foes gasped and sputtered yet neither of them relented their constricting grips as they stared the other down. As his vision started to fade from lack of air something… unusual happened. The hand he had around her throat felt like it was on fire and a bright red light flowed from his palm.

The alien's eyes were wide with shock as his hand burst with energy. Her tongue unwrapped and he released his grip as it felt like liquid fire was in his veins for they burned with such pain he dropped to one knee clutching his arm…

However it was gone just as quick as it came. Isaac shakily got his feet and examined his hand to see if there was any immediate damage. From the looks of it the suit was clearly unharmed so perhaps his hand was as well? Feeling something touching his boot he looked down and realized he had a bigger issue- the alien was still alive judging by the slow rising and falling of her chest. Killing her was out the question- she was basically helpless and to kill something that couldn't fight back was just wrong any way he looked at it. He also certainty couldn't leave her where she lay for she would wake up eventually and more than likely alert other patrols.

No he was going to have to keep her in his hideout until he left for the wilderness. Isaac gently picked her up and heaved her over his shoulder and dropped down into the manhole. Setting her down on an old couch he retrieved a coil of rope and tightly bound her wrists.

As a precaution he also bound her mouth to keep her from using her tongue and even though it was a bit overkill, he tied an old rag around her eyes.

Now that he didn't have to worry about her turning on him in his sleep he moved to to the back of the chamber and started digging through the clutter. Soon enough he found what he was looking for- his old lockbox. He twisted off the lock and opened it to reveal his most prized possessions, his custom 1911 handguns both still intact and fully loaded. Mere words couldn't express the delight he felt that the weapons he had owned since his childhood hadn't be stolen by a vagrant. He received them at the age of twelve and since then he meticulously cared for them, customized them, and trained extensively in their use to the point that they were extensions of himself rather than mere tools.

He stuck them inside his coat and in the clutter he found something not nearly as noteworthy but still as welcome- an old bottle of brandy.

Pulling his hood down he pressed the release on the back of his mask and the pressurized air inside hissed as he pulled it off his head unveiling his scarred and tired face. Pulling the cork out of the bottle he quickly gulped down the liquid, savoring the taste in his dry mouth. Tossing the bottle aside he sank to the floor and glanced at the hand the strange energy had come from.

What was it and where did it come from?

He gave a loud sigh as he knew he wouldn't be getting an answer anytime soon. Honesty it was unbearably frustrating for all of his questions to have no answers. At least he would have something to work toward in the coming months.

Taking one last glance at the unconscious alien he closed his eyes and fell into the deep abyss of sleep.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day…


End file.
